


Sybbie always gets her way

by elizainlove



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 16:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2627822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizainlove/pseuds/elizainlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I thought I would join in with my own ficlet about Thomas' natural ability with children. Just a cute little one-shot.</p>
<p>'Tom laughed quietly, watching as Thomas sat on the floor next to his daughter and pretended to serve her tea “I’m not sure I like her taste in companions”'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sybbie always gets her way

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is incredibly late, but I am getting through all the fics I have written but never uploaded.   
> So here we are with another one.  
> Enjoy.

“Barrow” Said a bossy voice from behind the man as he walked along the upstairs corridor “tell me where Nanny is?”

Thomas turned and looked down at the young Miss Sybbie- the girl had clearly been influenced by Master George’s mother, as Sybil would never have spoken to him like this. Still, he thought as he walked a few paces back towards her small figure, he felt a connection to her despite the fact Mr Brandson was her father “I’m afraid I don’t know where she is M’lady” he looked down into her face and seeing the stubbornness creep in quickly said “She doesn’t often come into the servants hall with the rest of us you see- but I would be happy to go and ask for you?” He only hoped this would appease her a little as he really did have to be getting on

She appraised him for a second before seemingly deciding to ignore all he had just said “I would like you to come and play with me” She glanced back at the door she had come from “George is awfully dull” 

Thomas couldn’t help but smile, that last bit must have been the influence of Lady Rose. Sybbie really was going to grow up to be quite the Diva “I’m afraid I really do need to be continue on Miss Sybbie”

“But George will be lonely” She folded her arms across her small chest and stared back at Thomas 

“Why will that be? He will have you for company until Nanny gets back” Thomas was slightly confused now and even more off schedule 

“I’m not staying here with him. He is boring. If you go I’m coming with you” Sybbie stated this as a fact. There was no room for argument.

Thomas could see what he was going to have to do and he could only hope that the Nanny wouldn’t be too long- come to think of it, why had she even left them alone in the first place?  
“Alright M’Lady, just this once” and he took the hand she offered him and allowed himself to be pulled into the room 

XXX

“What are you doing?” Tom said as he came across Mary hiding behind a pillar in the upstairs corridor 

Mary made a hushing noise and nodded her head ever so slightly towards the other side of the gallery “Nanny had to pop out and I offered to watch the children”

Tom followed her line of sight and grinned “How did Thomas get roped in?”

“It would seem young Sybbie rather likes him” She smiled at Tom then looked back “She caught him as he walked by and wouldn’t take no for an answer”

Tom laughed quietly, watching as Thomas sat on the floor next to his daughter and pretended to serve her tea “I’m not sure I like her taste in companions”

“Oh I think they look rather good” 

They watched in silence for a second more before she added “Of course it’s actually quite sad, really” the tone of Mary’s voice made Tom look round at her, frowning “Barrow will never get to have children, will he?”

“How do you know he wants them?” Tom said, but if he was honest, he completely understood what Mary was saying- and yes, it was sad.

“Look at them. He is so good with Her, and George too- remember that time he was ill and Thomas was the only one to be able to get him to sleep?”

This made Tom’s frown deepen. Now he thought about it, Thomas seemed to have a natural ability with children. Back when they had worked together- on the few times they had gone into Ripon with one another- children would speak to him in shops, or stand clutching their mothers hands and stare at him, all eyes. 

Tom felt his chest tighten- it was actually very sad, now he thought about it.  
“If only he and Jimmy could adopt” he mused, forgetting that he was in fact talking to a lady “Sorry Mary, I shouldn’t” 

But Mary only waved him down with a dismissive hand “I know all about that. I don’t see how I couldn’t. They really aren’t very good at being subtle, are they?”

Tom grinned “No, but to be fair I don’t think Thomas has ever done subtle”

XXX

Jimmy wandered up the corridor under the pretext of finding empty glasses -but in actual fact he was just trying to avoid doing any actual work for a while- when he stopped dead in his tracks. That hadn’t been- had it? 

Jimmy turned around and poked his head around the door he had just passed by. It had.  
He smiled “So this is where you’re hiding then? Mr Carson is all in a flap. Spitting with rage he is” At the flash of worry that passed over the other man’s face he quickly added with a wink “Only joking, love”

Before Thomas could add any actual words to throw at Jimmy along with his scowl Sybbie spoke up “He’s called Mr Barrow, not Love” she glared at Jimmy “Don’t you know   
anything?”

Jimmy looked taken aback and it was Thomas’ turn to grin  
“Yes I know that, M’Lady” Jimmy said as polity as possible “It’s a nickname I call him sometimes”

Thomas flashed him a glaring look and Jimmy winced, he knew he should have come up with a better excuse than that but there it was. 

Sybbie looked at him for a long while before saying suddenly “Sit” She pointed to the spot of floor next to her that wasn’t already occupied by Thomas 

“Ah- Lady Sybbie, I really have to be getting back to wo-”

“Don’t be so rude, James” Thomas said in his under butler voice, every trace of humour gone from his face apart from the glitter in his eyes

So Jimmy took his seat next to Miss Sybbie and joined in in having ‘tea’. He felt ludicrous but Jimmy couldn’t help but smile at the way Thomas interacted with the young lady. He was such a natural.

Jimmy felt a pang of unwarranted guilt that he could never give Thomas children- but he pushed it away as his love handed him a small china cup with the instructions to ‘drink up before it got cold’.

They sat and played for a while longer and part way through Master George woke up so Thomas picked him up out of his crib and let the young child join in the tea party. Of course all the boy did was sit in between Thomas’ crossed legs and bang his knee with a cup but that didn’t matter, he was gurgling happily enough he whole time.

“Why don’t you take him a second while have a quick scout about for their Nanny” Thomas offered George over to Jimmy as they both got to their feet. Sybbie ignored   
them, now engrossed with her dolls.

“Eh…” Jimmy didn’t move his hands from his sides “I don’t…how do I..?” he looked uncertainly at Thomas who only smiled a warm and encouraging smile   
“Look, it’s easy” he shifted George to the other hip and repositioned his grip “You just hold him here, and here- you try” he helped Jimmy manoeuvred George into a comfortable position on his hip “See, easy” as if to underline the point George lay his   
head on Jimmy’s shoulder and grabbed his nearest lapel.

Jimmy nodded and Thomas started to leave. Before he had done two paces however Jimmy grabbed his hand and said quickly “I’m sorry Thomas”

Thomas tilted his head, looking confused “What for?”

Jimmy opened and closed his mouth for a moment before settling on saying “No children”

But for Thomas his look of misery said it all and stepped back to Jimmy and gave him a one armed hug- careful not to squish Master George “Don’t be so stupid. I think we both   
know I wouldn’t love you if you could produce them so stop fretting”

Jimmy nodded before pouting, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows “I guess I always thought I’d have a family too, though” He unconsciously jiggled George on his hip and tucked his face into the crook of Thomas’ neck, wishing the other man wasn’t wearing his starched collar 

Thomas paused for a second before kissing the top of Jimmy’s head and saying softly “I don’t know about you, but I would pick having you over a child any day”

Jimmy kissed Thomas’ neck lightly “Yeah, me too” his answer was muffled but Thomas understood no the less. Nearly five years with Jimmy had taught him to understand every whispered syllable the man uttered.

Jimmy pulled his face away and said quietly “You had better got find the Nanny before we both get hung, drawn and quartered by Mr Carson for disappearing off together” He attempted a half-hearted wink 

“Yeah” Thomas said softly and after glancing briefly at Sybbie to see that she was indeed still invested in her dolls, he put a gentle hand to Jimmy’s face and stroked his thumb across his cheek, bringing his chin up so his lover looked at him. “I love you” He said firmly before leaning in a pressing a soft kiss to Jimmy’s lips “I love you so much”

“I love you too” and Jimmy kissed him once more before Thomas left to find someone or another to get angry at for the children being left unattended.

XXX

“Well” Said Mary with a false brightness in her voice “I think that’s my cue” and she pulled back from the pillar

“Yeah… I don’t suppose you’d mind me coming too?” Tom asked and began to follow Mary around the top floor gallery “I suddenly feel as though I should spend more time with them”

“Not at all” She glanced sadly at him “I hope that made you feel as lucky as it did me- or else I might think I was going soft”

“No, no. I can assure you I haven’t felt this privileged in all my life”


End file.
